Bio
I am a professor at the Friedrich Schiller University in Jena (Germany) and a Senior Group Leader at the Leibniz Institute on Aging (Fritz-Lipmann Institute), where I coordinate the research focus on Microbiome and Aging.
I am an evolutionary biologist and I study why we
age.
In my group we investigate how evolution shapes life history
traits across species in nature. We apply an evolutionary
and ecological perspective to the study of host-microbiome
interactions in the context of health, disease and aging.
Our work is at the confluence of evolutionary theory,
ecology, genomics and animal physiology. We employ
statistical modelling, experimental biology and field work
to answer open questions and help develop interventions to
improve biomedical resilience.
Education
Scuola Normale Superiore | Pisa, IT
Ph.D. in Neuroscience | January 2003 - April 2006
University of Pisa and Scuola Normale Superiore | Pisa, IT
M.Sc. in Biological Sciences | September 1996 - October 2001
Academic appointments
Friedrich Schiller University (FSU) | Jena, DE
Full Professor in Functional Host-Microbiome Interactions | July 2021 - Present
Leibniz Institute on Aging, Fritz Lipmann Institute | Jena, DE
Senior Researcher | July 2021 - Present
CECAD cluster of excellence of the University of Cologne | Cologne, DE
CECAD Principal Investigator | January 2016 - December 2021
Max Planck Institute for Biology of Ageing | Cologne, DE
Max Planck Research Group Leader | June 2013 - December 2021
Stanford University, Department of Genetics | Stanford, US
Postdoc and Research Associate | May 2006 - May 2013